child

Jōji (じょうじ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: jo:-zhee [dʑó̞ò̞.ʑì]
Variant transliterations: Joji, Jouji, Johji

Etymology and/or ways to write:
Some of the kanji used for this name can be seen in the table below:

jō (じょう) ji (じ)
丈 “height, stature” 二 “two”
譲/讓 “inheritance; transfer; conciliation” 治 “cure; management”
丞 “help” 司 “office”
城 “castle” 志 “will, aim, goal”
穣/穰, part of 豊穣 (hōjō), referring to an abundant grain crop 士°/侍 “man°; samurai”
錠 “lock” 史 “history”
浄 “clean, pure, chaste” 慈 “mercy, affection”
常 “constant” 児 “child, boy”
成 “growth, reach, attainment”

Some of its usage may be influenced by the English name George, which is transcribed as ジョージ.

Popularity:
Overall usage of this name is uncommon with yearly percentages not topping 0.1%. Beginning to see a bit of wider usage in the Meiji period (1868-1912), the name rose above 0.05% from the 1930s to the late 1960s. By the 1980s, usage levels dropped to within the 0.02-3% range.
Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my 2014-20 names research, by the mid-to-late 2010s, the name rose back above 0.05% on average.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Koko (ここ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: ko-ko [kó̞.kò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
For this name, it is usually written with two different ko kanji (or one ko kanji with the addition of a noma (々), a kanji repeating marker). Some of these kanji can be seen below:

  • 心 meaning “heart, mind”*
  • 瑚, part of 珊瑚 (sango) meaning “coral”
  • 來/来/徠 meaning “coming”
  • 幸/倖 meaning “good luck, happiness”
  • 虹 meaning “rainbow”
  • 恋 meaning “(romantic) love”
  • 胡, either meaning “foreign” or part of 胡桃 (kurumi) meaning “walnut”
  • 琴, referring to the 13-stringed Japanese zither
  • 香 meaning “fragrance”
  • 湖 meaning “lake”
  • 紅 meaning “crimson”
  • 鼓 meaning “drum, beat”
  • 子 meaning “child”**

* can also be used on its own, shortened from kokoro
** more often used as the second kanji

Popularity:
Most of the females named Koko were born in the Heisei period (1989-2019) onwards. In 1990, it was only given to around 0.002% of girls, remaining stable for several years before rising to around 0.01% by 1996. Usage of this name rose more steeply in the early 2000s and by 2007, just over 0.09% of girls received this name, placing Koko within the bottom section of the top 200.
Based on Baby Calendar rankings data combined with my 2014-20 names research, the average percentage from 2017-2020 is over 0.11%. As of 2020, Koko is ranking outside the top 200 on both datasets.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Kanji (かんじ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: kahn-jee [kã́ɲ̟̀.d͡ʑì]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
Most of the kanji used for this name are displayed in the table below:

kan (かん) ji (じ)
寛 “broadminded” 治 “cure; management”
勘 “perception, intuition, the sixth sense” 二 “two”
貫 “piercing, penetration” 次 “next”
幹 “(tree) trunk, base” 司 “office”
完 “perfect, complete” 士°/侍 “man°; samurai”
敢 “daring, brave, bold” 仁 “benevolence, compassion, humanity”
莞 “smiling”* 志 “will, aim, goal”
冠 “crown, diadem, coronet” 路 “road, path; way”
観 “look, appearance​” 慈 “mercy, affection”
関 “barrier, gate” 児 “child, boy”
侃 “outspoken” 時 “time”
勧 “recommendation, advice”
歓 “delight, pleasure”

Compounds for this name which are also words are 莞爾* meaning “smiling” and 完治 (more often read as kanchi) which refers to a complete recovery.

Popularity:
Though the separate elements and even the related Kanjirō (mostly 勘次郎/勘治郎) were used in the Edo period (1603-1868), Kanji is nowhere to be seen in either Collazo’s villager data or the merchant data, indicating that, at most, it was a very rarely used name.
Usage of this name increased in the Meiji period (1868-1912) with the percentage throughout the 19th century portion of the period at well over 0.2%, at its best placing within the bottom of the top 100. Throughout the early 20th century, percentages remained within the 0.1% range but fell below it by the 1940s and 1950s, dropping to 0.02% or less throughout the 1990s and 2000s. According to Baby Calendar rankings data combined with my preliminary 2014-20 names research, the average percentage for that time frame had increased a tad bit to over 0.03%.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Niko (にこ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: nʸee-ko [ɲ̟í.kò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from the stem 和/柔 (niko) meaning “soft, tender; gentle, mild” or “small; fine, minute,” inflected in such words as adjective 和やか (nikoyaka) meaning “smiling, merry; soft, gentle” and adverbs にこり (nikori) (variant にっこり (nikkori)) and にこにこ (nikoniko), which both refer to someone having a bright smile or grin. As such, 笑/咲, from 笑/咲み (emi) meaning “smile,” is used as a single kanji as well as 和/柔.
As far as 2-kanji combinations go, the most popular form of this name (single kanji inclusion or not) at the moment is 虹心, combining 虹 (niji) meaning “rainbow” with 心 (kokoro) meaning “heart, mind.” Aside from all the kanji listed up to now, others in use include:

ni (に) ko (こ)
仁 “benevolence, compassion, humanity” 瑚 part of 珊瑚 (sango) “coral”
日 “day; sun” 子 “child”
二 “two” 香 “fragrance”
新 “new” 湖 “lake”
丹 “red earth, vermilion” 恋 “(romantic) love”
琴 koto (the 13-stringed Japanese zither)

There are also two combinations which don’t quite fit the usual pattern seen on the table which include 優心, the first kanji meaning “gentle, elegant,” and 虹空, the second kanji taken from sora meaning “sky.” Also used, albeit rarely, is 二胡 which refers to the erhu, a Chinese two-stringed bowed musical instrument.

Popularity:
In use since at least the Meiji period (1868-1912), it was a rarely used name up until around the late 1990s when it started rising in popularity. The increase steepened in the early 2000s and by 2004, over 0.09% of baby girls received this name. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data as well as my preliminary 2014-9 names research, percentage levels in that time frame rose to well over 0.2% and is currently fairly close to reaching the top 100.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Maiko (まいこ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: mah-ee-ko [má.ì.kò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The most commonly used form of this name is 舞子, made up of 舞 (mai) meaning “dance” and 子 (ko) meaning “child.” The name coincides with the term for an apprentice geisha, though the word is written in kanji as 舞妓. Kanji in use for the 2-kanji first element of this name include:

ma (ま) i (い)
麻 “hemp, flax” 衣 “clothing”
真 “pure, true” 依 “reliance, dependence”
茉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine” 以 phonetic kanji
万 “ten thousand” 唯/惟 “only”
磨/摩 “polish, shine” 伊 phonetic kanji
満 “full, whole” 井 phonetic kanji
雅 “refinement, elegance”

Popularity:
Maiko started to be used among the general population in the 1900s amidst an explosion of -ko names, though it was uncommonly used until the 1970s when it started to rise in popularity. In that decade, over 0.3% of girls were given this name, peaking in the 1980s with the percentage of over 0.8%.
By 1990, it was already past its peak with around 0.307% of girls receiving this name, rising slightly to around 0.377% in 1992 before dropping out of the top 100 by 1994 with around 0.204% of girls being given this name in that year. By 2009, the percentage fell to less than 0.03%, remaining this way ever since.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Yuriko (ゆりこ)

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(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: yuu-rʸee-ko [jɯ̟́ᵝ.ɾʲì.kò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The most commonly used form of this name is 百合子, made up of 百合 (yuri) meaning “lily” and 子 (ko) meaning “child.” 百 is also used as the first kanji for other kanji combinations, which include:

yu (ゆ) ri (り)
友 “friend” 里 “village”
由 “reason, cause” 理 “reason, logic”
有 “existence” 梨 “pear”
優 “gentle, elegant; excellence, superiority” 莉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine”
祐/佑/侑 “help” 利 “advantage, benefit”
悠 “quiet, calm; far off, distant” 璃 part of 瑠璃 (ruri) “lapis lazuli”
裕 “abundant, rich” 吏 “officer”
夕 “night” 栞 “bookmark”
柚 “yuzu fruit”
結 “tie, bond”
唯 “only”
弓 “bow”

Popularity:
Yuriko started rising in popularity alongside other -ko names in the 1890s, gaining a spot in the top 100 by the 1910s and experiencing its general peak of popularity from the 1920s to the 1950s with well over 0.7% of girls receiving this name and ranking within the top 50 throughout much of that time period.
Though it did drop to less than 0.4% in the 1960s, it did teeter on and off the 0.4% mark throughout that decade all the way to the first half of the 1980s. By the time the Heisei period (1989-2019) started, it was out of the top 100 with around 0.19% of girls receiving this name, dropping to just over 0.15% in the next year. Despite a short-term rise to over 0.21% by 1993, percentage dropped to below 0.1% by the late 1990s and is currently being given to less than 0.04% of girls, based on Baby Calendar ranking data and my preliminary 2014-8 names research.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Aiko (あいこ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: ah-ee-ko [á.ì.kò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The most commonly used form of this name is 愛子, made up of 愛 (ai) meaning “love, affection” and 子 (ko) meaning “child.” Other single kanji in the first element include 藍 meaning “indigo” and 逢/相 meaning “meeting.” It can also be written phonetically (as あい or アイ) or split into two kanji, with an a kanji like 亜, 愛, 吾/我 or 安 meaning “quiet, peaceful” and an i kanji such as 衣 meaning “clothing,” 依 meaning “reliance, dependence” or 以. Other kanji can be used for the second element as well, particularly on younger women and girls, such as 湖 meaning “lake” and 心 meaning “heart, mind.”

Popularity:
In the midst of the surge in -ko names in the early 20th century, Aiko was already well within the top 50 by the 1910s and had peaked within the top 10 in the 1920s with well over 1.1% of girls receiving this name by then. After that came a moderately steep decline, leaving the top 100 by the 1960s and 1970s with levels at around or just under 0.2%, before making a mini comeback into the top 100 in the 1980 with over 0.35% of girls being given the name in that decade.
By the time the Heisei period (1989-2019) rolled around, Aiko had again left the top 100, dropping to over 0.07% by the late 1990s. The birth of Princess Aiko in December of 2001 provided the name another boost, though at over 0.17% in 2002, it did not return to the top 100 that time around. After dropping and rising within the 0.1% range for the rest of the 2000s, it fell out of that range by the 2010s. According to my preliminary 2014-8 names research, over 0.05% of girls born in that time period received this name.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Shidō (しどう)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: shee-do: [ɕí.dò̞ː]
Variant transliterations: Shido, Shidou

Etymology and/or ways to write:
Here are most of the kanji used for this name:

shi (し) dō (どう)
志 “will, aim, goal” 道 “road, path; way”
獅 “lion” 童 “child”
士°/侍 “man°; samurai” 堂 “hall”
史 “history” 瞳 “pupil (of eye)”
詩 “poem” 桐 “paulownia tree”
師 “teacher, master” 憧 “longing, yearning”
紫 “purple, violet” 導 “guid(anc)e”
司 “office” 登 “ascent”
嗣 “heir, successor” 冬 “winter”
時 “time”
思 “thought”
蒔 “sowing, planting”
示 “lesson, example”
資 “fund, capital”
治 “cure; management”

Popularity:
Although this name was used before the 21st century, it didn’t gain any prominent usage until 2002 when kabuki actor Nakamura Shidō II appeared in the film ‘Ping Pong’ as ‘Dragon’. From there, the name would be given to 0.02% of boys or more for most years.
The name seemed to have peaked in 2004 with around 0.04% of boys being given this name before dropping to around 0.025% by 2008. The name jumped back up to just under 0.04% in 2009. Based on Baby Calendar rankings data along with my preliminary 2014-9 names research, average percentage levels for that time time frame fell a bit to over 0.02%.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Kaoruko (かおるこ)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: kah-o–ruu-ko [kà.ó̞.ɾɯ̟́ᵝ.kò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
In essence, this name is a compound of the verb 香/薫/馨る (kaoru) meaning “to be fragrant” and 子 (ko) meaning “child.” Aside from using 薫, 馨 or 香 for the first element, it can also be written phonetically or it can used as two kanji, like 花織 or 華織, made up of 花/華 (ka) meaning “flower” and 織 (oru) meaning “to weave.”

Popularity:
This name has been in use since at least the latter half of the Meiji period (1868-1912) when names ending in -ko began to explode in popularity. However, usage of Kaoruko from the 1900s up to now is very uncommon.
With regards to how often its been used in the Heisei period (1989-2019), it was given to 0.022% of girls in 1990, placing at or near the bottom quarter of the top 500, reduced to half that by 2009.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Shiryū (しりゅう)

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Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: shee-rʸuu: [ɕí.ɾʲɨ̀ᵝː]
Variant transliterations: Shiryu, Shiryuu

Etymology and/or ways to write:
Here are most of the kanji used for this name:

shi (し) ryū (りゅう)
志 “will, aim, goal” 龍/竜 “dragon”
子 “child” 琉 part of 琉璃 (ruri) “lapis lazuli”
獅 “lion” 隆 “prosperous”
史 “history” 瑠 part of 瑠璃 (ruri)
士 “man; samurai” 立 “stand, rise”
詩 “poem”
司 “office”
仔 “(animal) offspring”
嗣 “heir, successor”
紫 “purple, violet”

Popularity:
Much of the usage for this name is concentrated on those born in the Heisei period (1989-2019), especially those born since the late 1990s. In 1990, it was only given to 0.002%, steadily increasing to 0.010% in 1996 before jumping to around 0.045% in 2000 and around 0.054% in 2007.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.